Dark Shadows of Night
by Snwy.Leopard
Summary: Following the murder of her parents, Hermione becomes one of the wizarding world's deadliest assassins ready to rid the world of the hurt and pain Voldemort causes. It's too bad Draco Malfoy has his own agenda. PostHBP HrD
1. The Catalyst of the Order's Assassin

**A/N: Hello fellow readers! So, it has been a VERY long time since I have written/updated a fanfiction. I think, however, now that I'm free of the hormone and drama-filled part of my life I call my high school days I have a better handle on my writing style and my ideas. There will be a lot of flashbacks in the first two chapters, but it'll pick up from there. I am really excited about this story, so I hope you enjoy it because I would like to continue to write it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Harry Potter or its characters.**

**Title: Dark Shadows of Night**

**Chapter 1: The Catalyst of the Order's Assassin**

The sound of moans pierced the silence of the night, but no one heard. There was no one around save for the guards standing watch on various parts of the land. None of these guards rushed to the place where the moans originated from. No. These were moans emitted from a women captured in the throes of deeply immense passion. Her lover matched every buck she made, each movement ranging from agonizingly slow to powerful and fast.

He teased her, sucked and licked her neck enrapturing her in moments of pure and utter bliss. She loved the feel of a man on top of her, encompassing her very being. She grabbed the sheets on her bed teetering dangerously close to her apex. Her head jerked backwards, eyes opening at the familiar sensation just before her climax. And in that second her eyes widened and her heart beat a thousand miles as she spotted the shadow of a person standing behind her lover right before a flash of light appeared and his head was cut cleanly off his body, eyes still shut in the heat of the moment.

A shrill scream pierced the night's air.

The assassin made no noise using the shadows as her guidance. Merlin, that woman can scream. With a quick wipe clean the sword found its home in its hilt, a nonverbal spell shortening it to the length of a knife. She could hear the guards yelling, panicking after hearing the unexpected octave of their lord's nightly companion. They were caught off guard. Good. That's how she wanted it. Seeing the approaching wall which separated Yaxley's manor from the outside world, she steeled herself before utilizing her magic to flip over the wall unnoticed, the sounds of the yelling guards disappearing into the quickly fading distance.

Lord Yaxley.

She did not consider him a lord, nor did a multitude of people who knew him, but she supposed it was his way of trying to make himself feel more powerful than he really was. Only his guards and his little sexual adventures referred to him as such, but no matter. Yaxley crossed the line once and for all. She knew he was the Dark Lord's inside eye and ear into the Ministry and used the Imperius on various department heads to infiltrate all the major departments in the Ministry of Magic.

Before she arrived, her team had been watching Yaxley for months gathering proof of his allegiance to the dark side. His completed infiltration would have caused an even bigger disadvantage to her side, a fact she would dare not let happen. He was there that day her world changed- him and two other known death eaters. It was finally time for her to act and act she did. A member of the top secret elite assassin team created by the Order of the Phoenix, Hermione Granger made sure he paid just like he made her parents pay.

_Flashback_

The end of sixth year ended on one of the worst notes in all her years at Hogwarts. The first battle of Hogwarts dangerously shook the general student and faculty body. Their headmaster was dead. The Golden Trio could hardly be seen walking around without a glazed look on their faces, dark rings surrounding their eyes from a lack of sleep. Everyone, minus the Slytherins, shared in their depressive states. The memorial held for their dearest late headmaster was attended by every student and many alumni of Hogwarts. Aurors guarding the school silently prayed in their heart for the fallen soldier. The light suffered a huge loss.

When it was time to board the train home the trio stared at the looming building in the distance. Dark, ominous clouds seemed to gravitate toward the castle as though in mourning of the loss of a great wizard and mentor. Breaking eye contact, Hermione placed a hand on Harry and Ron's arm to gain their attention to the compartments being filled with students. They managed to secure a solitary compartment to which she locked and silenced, a curtain materializing to block out its occupancy. The tell tale jerk of the train signaled the start of their trip, away from the place they called their secondary home, a place full of heavy memories, good and bad.

Harry hardly talked to anyone let alone Ron or Hermione. They knew he needed time to figure things out but they made it a point to watch him out of the corner of their eyes just in case the stress finally pushed him over the edge. Most of the ride was silent save for the whooshing sound of air as the train cut through the countryside.

Hermione thought over the year, especially on the events that occurred not too long ago. There was no point in pretending it didn't happen. Ignorance made a person weak. She had to face the facts. Dumbledore was dead. His killer, Snape, escaped. And Draco Malfoy was nowhere to be found. What did this mean? Who would be the leader of the Order of the Phoenix? Was there still a chance of them winning?

_Stop that_, Hermione chided herself. They _will _win. In any given war, each side will suffer setbacks, but what really made the winners was finding the strength and intelligence to pick up the pieces and continue with as much fervor as before. The attack on Hogwarts, she knew, would be one of many to come, but how many more will suffer? Was there anything that could be done to prevent it from happening? She couldn't stand it if she kept losing people she loved. It was with those thoughts she lulled herself to sleep.

"Hermione. Hermione," a hand shook her shoulder. She jerked awake, eyes aware and surveying her environment. She focused on the mop of jet black hair in front of her. Harry. He gave her a ghost of a smile, the closest thing to a genuine smile since the death of their headmaster. "We're here." She nodded, prodding the sleeping redhead next to her awake. Before they stepped out of the compartment, however, Harry swiftly turned around.

"Harry, what-" She was interrupted by a strong pull of arms, Ron smashed behind her. Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, her body relaxed some before she and Ron reciprocated the hug their best friend so desperately needed. They leaned in foreheads touching, a moment of silence as the sound of their schoolmates shuffling filled the background. They seemed to draw strength from each other as they grasped the other tightly, not wanting to let go. Harry's eyes screwed shut. He tensed before his shoulders dropped and his emerald green eyes opened. They looked at their distraught friend. Hermione placed her hand on his cheek, gently caressing the slight stubble she was accustomed to feeling on her dark haired friend. Ron placed a hand on her shoulder and the other on Harry's.

"Thank you." It was quiet, but they heard it. Hermione felt a pang in her heart hearing how lost Harry sounded. It was as though he were close to giving up. But she wouldn't let him. No, they were the Golden Trio for a reason. They fought Death Eaters and Voldemort himself, an experience many aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix had yet to face. They did not give up.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "We'll get through this, Harry. I promise." Feeling Ron's head nodding behind her, Hermione kissed Harry's cheek. "Ready?" She offered her hand as she grabbed onto Ron's, the question holding a deeper meaning. Harry gazed into her hazelnut eyes before nodding and grabbing hold of hers. They exited the train hand in hand.

They were greeted by the warm reception of the Wesley family; the twins, Molly, and Arthur coming up to greet them all. Ginny had already left the train before them and waited knowingly beside her family. "Welcome back!" Molly Weasley, in her motherly way, greeted them each with a warm hug. "You poor darlings, you must be drained! Oh, no matter! There's plenty of food ready for you at home! Hermione, are you coming with us, dear?"

Hermione smiled apologetically at the loving woman in front of her. "Unfortunately not today, Mrs. Weasley. I'll be going home for a week or two before seeing you all again. I haven't seen my parents in a long time and I hope to see them soon in case something happens in the future." Mrs. Weasley smiled sadly at Hermione's implications of the future. She looked at the haggard state of her children. Yes, she considered Harry and Hermione one of her own. So young, and yet faced with so much grief and misery. They held the fate of the world on their shoulders, Harry especially, and there was nothing she could do to lessen their burden.

"I understand." She placed a hand on Hermione's arm. "Make sure to owl us when you're home and when you're ready to come, okay? "

"I will." With a nod, Hermione bid farewell to each member of the Weasley family present and to Harry. She clung to Harry wishing she could somehow transfer some of his pain and anguish to herself. She loved her friends with all her might and it pained her to see Harry so forlorn. She took a deep breath in. "Take care of yourself, you hear me, Potter?" The use of his last name and the strength in which she delivered her message made the boy in her arms jerk up in surprise. A small smile found its way onto his face.

"I will, Granger." Smirking playfully, she kissed Harry and Ron on the cheek, the latter growing a bit pink in the cheeks.

"See you soon, then. I won't forget to owl when I get in. Have a safe trip back to the Burrow!" She waved to them as they separated. When they were out of her eyesight, she looked around the station trying to find her ride. To her surprise, she saw one of her parent's employees standing next to her father's car.

"Angela, what are you doing here?" Hermione asked as she walked up to the car, luggage in tow. The blonde woman smiled at her in recognition.

"Your parents are tied up with a dental surgery, so they asked me to bring you home." Nodding in acceptance, Hermione loaded her trunk in the car and sat quietly as she watched the houses pass by. Upon reaching her street, she noticed dark gray smoke emitting from her block. Eyebrows knotting together in confusion, the closer they got the more she realized that the smoke was not emitting from just any house. A feeling of dread and utter shock filled her as the car stopped in the middle of the road in direct view of her house, huge red tongues of fire digesting her childhood home. She gasped, looking at Angela before a scream bubbled from her mouth.

At that moment Angela's face and body melted off into the sneering form of Rudolphus Lestrange. Jerking her door open, Hermione fell backwards onto the gravel of the road. His face twisted in horrible delight at the sight of her scrambling on the floor away from him. Her heart beat fast, her breath coming in short pants. No one was out there.

A shriek of laughter broke Hermione out of her surprise as she was diverted back to her burning house. Her parents! Where were her parents? She stumbled away from Rudolphus who had begun to leer at her. She pulled out her wand only to be faced with his. He started to close in, cornering her, the destination her house. His larger stature took advantage of catching her off guard.

"The muggles are burning! Burn like the filth you are! Burn! Burn! Burn!" Bellatrix's twisted shrill voice filled Hermione's ear before ending in a demented laugh. Upon reaching the front lawn, Hermione could hear the screams of two people; male and female. Her parents! Through the window, she could make out Bellatrix dancing as though she were performing some sort of ritual dance. Her defense still up, she assessed her situation. She had to get them out. Merlin only knows how long they were in there and how much longer they had. Where were the aurors?!

Walking sideways so that she could see her house and Rudolphus, she tightened her grip on her wand. "_Impedimenta!_"

Rudolphus blocked the spell while sneering at her. "Not very smart are you, mudblood? Could've-" He may have been ready to deflect any spell she would've used, but what he wasn't prepared for was the swift roundhouse kick to the face she delivered. His head snapped to the side from the force of her strike and he promptly fell to the floor with a thud. Hearing him groan on the floor she ran inside the house knowing she only had a small amount of time before he got back on his feet. Wand held in front of her and covering her nose and mouth with her sleeve she kicked open the door to avoid burning her hand. Her eyes widened in horror, the roar of the fire deafening her ears.

"Mum! Dad!" Placed on a stage of fire in the burning living room were two wooden poles. Tied to the poles were her parents, their screams increasing as the fire began to continue its assault up their bodies. This image brought on a sense of déjà vu as she paralleled the pictures she saw in her History of Magic textbook on the Salem Witch trials with the scene in front of her. The only difference was that the witches who were accused had spells that turned the fire into something as harmless as a tickle. This in front of her was the complete opposite. Her eyes flashed and she pointed her wand at Bellatrix who, surprised at the door bursting open, wickedly threw a smug smirk.

"Welcome, mudblood, to the death of your parents." Bellatrix screeched in delight resuming her dancing around the room blasting spells to increase the flames and destroy all of Hermione's precious memories.

"Stupe-" A hard kick to her ribs made Hermione lose her breath and keel to the side, thankfully nowhere near any flames.

"HERMIONE!" She heard her parents yell in between their groans and gurgled cries. A hand grabbed a fistful of hair as it lifted her up to face her new attacker. Yaxley. Her eyes narrowed having remembered him at the Department of Mysteries the year before. She lashed out, throwing punches, kicks, even going as far as trying to bite his arm, but to no avail.

He sneered at her. "Filthy mudblood," he spat and threw her into a piano bench, head hitting against the hard wood of the legs. _Get up! Get up, Mione. Fight! Mum! Dad!_ She coughed. It was so hard to breath!

Shaking her head, she yelled, "_Avis_!" Immediately a flock of birds flew at Yaxley and started attacking his head. In the back of her mind, she hoped the birds would be careful not to catch fire. Being granted this distraction, she pulled herself up. She watched as Bellatrix began to dance toward her and with perfect timing, Hermione lunged herself at the crazed Death Eater. Caught by surprise, Bellatrix landed on her back, the side of her head landing on a flame of fire. She screamed and jerked away from the fire, grabbing the side of her face.

Hermione, who took this momentary distraction managed to yell out the water spell until a "_Petrificus Totalus!" _made her freeze in place. _NO!_ Her mind yelled.

"You. Filthy. Little. Mudblood," Bellatrix spat out each word, her hands still covering her burned skin. Rudolphus, who cast the spell on Hermione, joined his wife who began to circle her. His wand pointed menacingly at her. Seconds later Yaxley joined them. "You ruined my perfect face!" In her anger, Bellatrix slapped Hermione. Her face jerked to the side and stayed in its sideways position.

She looked at the crazed Death Eater with fear, her nostrils filling with the smoke and her ears listening to the screaming of her parents. Bellatrix grabbed a hold of her chin and forced her face forward, nails cutting so deep in her skin tiny rivers of blood began to flow. Bellatrix leaned in. "You're lucky we're under orders of the Dark Lord, you little piece of filth. You would be burning up there with your parents right now if we weren't." Hermione's eyes flicked toward her parents whose necks were now consumed in the fire. A deep feeling of nausea and dread filled her. Her insides churned and she couldn't do a thing about it. "No, matter, we'll just make you watch them burn in hell for creating an abomination like you." Hermione's heart dropped as Bellatrix let go of her chin and pointed her wand at her parents. "This was more fun than I thought it was. _Aguamenti!_"

The stream of water, controlled to shoot only a small stream of water, slowed down the process of the fire. Her eyes widened. _No! You can't do that! Stop!_ In her pain, Bellatrix managed to grin maniacally as she drew the pain and deaths of the Grangers on longer. She reveled in their screams.

Hermione's eyes teared as she made eye contact with both of her burning parents. She wished she could call to them, but she was still under the spell. "Her- Hermione. Mione, dear-" Her eyes flashed as she heard her mother call to her. The flames had started its ascent up their faces. "We love you, darling."

They gave her an encouraging smile, despite the horrifying pain of being burned alive. It was a simple statement yet it held a lot of meaning. Be careful. Be strong. Don't lose hope yet._ Mama! Papa! _Her mind screamed as the last of the flames engulfed her parents completely. Her eyes widened, tears falling as a more rapid pace. Her breath hitched from the thick smoke of burning flesh and from her tears.

Still under the body-bind curse, she could not defend herself when Yaxley, Bellatrix, and Rudolphus simultaneously raised their wands at her. "_Crucio!" _The sounds of her screams filled the burning house.

Their laughter was the last thing Hermione saw as she crumpled to the floor in a heap, darkness falling upon her.

_End of flashback_

Hermione shook her head roughly to get rid of those memories, the distinct smell of burning flesh threatening to emerge from memory. Her eyes hardened as she continued the run to her apparition point. She was almost there.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! **


	2. The End of Hermione's Innocence

**Chapter 2: The End of Hermione's Innocence**

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. The apparition point was a lot farther than she thought, or maybe that was because of her eating habits as of late. _Gotta stop munching on everything in sight, girl. _Shaking her head, her mind fell back into its reverie.

_Flashback_

Pain. Burning pain. That's what she felt when she woke up, although whether she was actually waking up or whether she was in heaven, she did not know. Her throat burned. Her body felt like lead weight.

She opened her eyes slowly, wincing at the pain of her eyes adjusting to the starch white of the room.

The Weasleys and Harry made their presence known when they saw her stirring. Coughing up ash from her lungs, she paled and leaned over, promptly throwing up in the garbage that Harry immediately thrust under her.

The sound of her retching for the next forty five minutes worried all those in the room with her. Ron left to go retrieve a doctor. Starting to feel herself dry heave, she took the offered handkerchief from Molly Weasley and wiped her mouth before lying back down on the bed. Harry ran his hands through her hair as she drank the self-replenishing cup of water that had been placed next to her bed.

And all of a sudden it hit her. One by one memories of the attack filled her mind's eye as though she were still there. The smell of her parent's burning flesh. The maniacal laughter of Bellatrix Lestrange. The roaring of the fire. She paled.

"Hermione?" Harry grabbed a hold of her hand. Her eyes glazed over. She couldn't bring herself to speak. She felt nauseous, broken, lost. It felt like her whole world came crashing down on her and she had no way of stopping it. Tears escaped her eyes, but she made no sound. Her eyes blurred and her fists clenched in vain hopes of trying to rid the void she felt in her heart.

He repeated her name. They all did in hopes of trying to get her out of her trance, but they couldn't. She was reliving that night over and over again, the void growing deeper and deeper. She didn't hear them. No, she only heard her parent's cries; her mother's plea.

The door opened to admit a doctor who promptly shooed her visitors out, but she did not noticed. Each squeezed her hands or hugged her before leaving. Once everyone left, he did a routine check, promising her sleep. In the deep confines of her mind, she heard him tell her she had been asleep for four days. She heard him tell her she had suffered three simultaneous _Cruciatus_ curses and was lucky to be alive.

Lucky to be alive.

Was she lucky? Was this the gods' way of making her feel lucky? To watch as her parents, her parents who had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the Wizarding War, burned at the stake as though they were a suspected witch and wizard?

She said nothing. He gave her something to drink, but she did not take it. She did nothing, yet the next thing she knew, she was back asleep, her mind, in its subconscious state, going a million miles a minute.

The next time she woke up she was alone; the sound of silence pierced the air. She hated the silence. It forced her to think and that was not something she wanted to do at the moment. She wanted to be distracted or maybe even have a memory charm placed on her. No, that was out of line.

_How could you say that about mom and dad? _ Her mind reprimanded her. _They died for your cause. They're dead._

She clenched her fists against the white starchy material of the hospital's blanket. Few tears fell as she hugged her knees to her chest, her eyes unfocused on a section of the plain white wall across from her. Again came the roaring memory of the fire. Bitter tears trickled down her cheeks as her sorrow was slowly replaced by an intense burning.

Rage. Deep, uncontrollable rage.

She found herself feeling the heat of the fire as Bellatrix danced around her parents chanting. She saw the fear in her parent's faces as their bodies succumbed to the red and orange tongues. Felt the anger and fury she felt when Yaxley and Rudolphus hindered her from stopping the inevitable. The more she thought about the horrible witch who prolonged her parent's suffering, the more she wished she succeeded in burning the rest of Bellatrix Lestrange's face off. She tightened her fists.

She was angry. Her eyes, still focused on the scene in her mind's eye, flashed. The air around her crackled with electricity, but she did not notice.

Nor did she notice when everything glass in her room and the area surrounding her room burst into millions of pieces. Outside in the hallway, no one knew what was happening or what was causing such an unexpected event. They began panicking. One man knew, however, and promptly yanked open the door to her room.

Seeing the levitating furniture and equipment around the girl's bed, he quickly rushed to her side, but she didn't hear him.

"_Her- Hermione. Mione!" Her mother called. _ _"Hermione! HER-"_

"-MIONE!" With a jerk, she was released from her trance and at once everything that had been floating fell to the floor with a crash. The last she saw was Remus Lupin's worried eyes.

When she woke up her eyes focused on a single figure sitting in the corner of her room. Remus Lupin smiled softly at the girl he had come to love as a daughter.

"Hermione," he whispered as he got up to stand by her bed. Hearing him use her name seemed to affect her greatly. She choked out tears and held onto the hand he offered her, but she wouldn't talk. She didn't think she could.

"Hermione, please say something. It's been almost two weeks and you haven't said a thing to anyone. Even the doctor's starting to worry." She looked ahead, not responding even though she heard him perfectly this time. "Please, Hermione. What you did the last time- the glass-"

Feeling panic, she interrupted, "I didn't mean to do that." Her voice was quiet and rough from lack of use, but he heard her. He refrained from breathing out a sigh of relief. He, like everyone else who was worried about her, was worried that the _Cruciatus_ curses actually did affect her.

"I know you didn't, pup." He ran his hand through her hair trying to sooth her. There was silence, but now that he heard her talk, he settled into it easier.

"I want- I want to know what happened after I left."

Surprised at her sudden request and willingness to speak, he looked straight into her eyes. Many would easily miss the emotions held so well behind her hardened exterior, but he saw it plain as day- the sorrow, the emptiness, and, curiously, the unbridled rage that flickered in every so often. Finally, he sighed as he ran a hand through his messy hair, making the werewolf-man look much older than he was.

He grabbed her hand, whether to give her strength or himself, he didn't know.

"We came as soon as we could- the aurors and the Order of the Phoenix I mean. When we tried getting into your house, there was a strong protection spell that stopped us from getting inside. We could barely make out you and Bellatrix Lestrange through the windows. The second we heard your scream the invisible force field was lifted and the dark mark appeared above your house. The Death Eaters were gone by then. Some of the aurors and Order members remained outside to control the fire from spreading. A team followed me inside and some quickly began shooting off spells to dispel the fire, but much of your house had already been destroyed. I found you sprawled on the floor, hardly breathing. It was so shallow." His breathing quickened as he recounted the horror of finding her lying so broken on the floor.

"After making sure your spine was still intact, I lifted you up and carried you outside. The rest of the group that had come inside was busy fighting the flames and trying to stabilize your house before more of the ceiling crashed down. I apparated to St. Mungo's because I knew you were in danger from inhaling all the smoke and from whatever had been done to you. You can imagine my surprise when the doctor informed me later that you suffered from three simultaneous Cruciatus curses and still had your mind perfectly intact." He tightened his hand as though to make sure she was real and sane. He took in a deep breath. She stared down at their intertwined hands, hardly seeing them.

"When I returned to the scene, I was immediately brought inside. The aurors and members of the Order managed to stop the flames, though a significant amount of damage had been done to your house I'm sorry to say. What I saw in the living room, Hermione," her grip on his tightened and he heard her breathe in sharply, eyes squinting shut. He couldn't continue.

"They burned my parents alive," she managed to choke out, tears of anger and sorrow leaving her eyes once again. "They burned my parents like how muggles burned witches in Salem, Remus," she wanted to yell, wishing she could make him understand the multitude of feelings swirling around her. "And you know what's the worst part?" He remained silent, allowing her to continue. "My parents didn't have a _spell_ to make the flames consuming them feel as light as a tickle, rendering them harmless. No, they burned and were turned to ash," she spat out in fury. "I heard them scream. I tried to- I tried to save them, but it was three against one. Three against one, Remus!" She gripped his hand, rage filling up. It was a hand on her shoulder that made her snap out of her reverie.

"I know, Hermione, but you and I both know that whether it's three on one or ten on one does not matter in their eyes." Hermione fiddled with the blanket threads, letting his words flow through her.

She knew it didn't matter to the Death Eaters. Of all people, she should've expected it, but she was so shocked. It was s surreal seeing her parents up there. She gripped the blanket, her knuckles quickly turning white.

"You're angry. Hell, we all are. It took all of the Weasleys and then some to hold Harry and Ron back from trying to seek out the Dark Lord right then and there." Not even a smile broke out on her face at the mention of her best friends and unofficial family. Family. Her eyes unfocused as she realized she had no more family. She was the last remaining Granger. Her heart clenched horrifically. Suddenly, Remus sighed, breaking her out of her reverie.

At her questioning gaze, he hesitated. He couldn't look her in the eye when he was about to ask the impossible from her. Of all the tasks for Dumbledore to ask of him! And at such a horrible time too. But Dumbledore must have foreseen Hermione's parent's death. He knew what a great fighter she would be, regardless of her blood.

"There's – there's something I need to ask of you, Hermione." Taking a deep breath, he looked her straight in the eye. He had to do this. She was the key to making sure Dumbledore's plan worked. Seeing her lift her eyebrow, he continued. "What I say, whether you agree to it or not, must be kept in between you and me and no one else do you understand?" Seeing her nod slowly, he flicked his wand casting a silencing spell on the room.

"I promise. Tell me, what is it?" He took a second to formulate his thoughts.

"We are at a huge disadvantage in this war." He held his hand up at her surprised gaze. This was not what she expected him to talk about. "Don't say anything until I finish, pup. You'll understand at the end. The Death Eaters have become so unpredictable and arrogant about their attacks the Ministry is running around with its heads chopped off. Every time they figure something out, the Death Eaters are two steps ahead of them. When they think an attack will take place at a certain location, it turns out to be somewhere else that's right under their noses."

"Things are getting worse. With the huge hit we took after losing Dumbledore… We're grasping at whatever we can. Everything seems in vain. Nothing is getting done and the Order is tired of waiting for the ministry to take control of the situation. If we don't take a strong initiative everything we hold dear will be lost forever." He took a deep breath. This was it. He had to tell her.

"Before Dumbledore… passed away, he gave me a task. He knew that the Light would be suffering greatly because of the Minister's lack of action and intelligence. As the official leader of the Order of the Phoenix I have been designated to create a small group of fighters, elite wizards and witches, who research both known and possible suspected Death Eaters. Selected individuals of this group are then sent to terminate these people once enough information has been gathered. We know the Dark Side plans to fully infiltrate the Ministry and we need to stop them before it gets too late. This is where this team of fighters comes in." He glanced at her to make sure she was still attentive.

"Terminate?" Her voice was soft, brows furrowed as though trying to understand what he was trying to say. "You mean-"

"Kill them. Yes." He held his breath. If she said no, then they would be losing a valuable fighter. She remained silent and extremely guarded.

"And what do I have to do with this group?" He faltered, stuck between wanting to continue and wanting to tell her a lie. He chose the former.

"You see, Hermione, you have a strong power inside of you that you don't even know about. It has yet to be released and harnessed. The day you shattered everything, your magic was as uncontrolled as a child, yet ten times stronger than the average witch or wizard your age. It goes without saying that you are a strong woman, Hermione. Your intelligence, strength, passion are what makes you live and you have yet to tap into your full potential. Also," he paused, not sure whether he wanted to continue, "due to… certain circumstances –"

"You mean watching my parents burn to death," she added dully, eyes glazing over as she remembered the anger, the rage that had consumed her. She didn't need to see his nod, she already knew.

"Yes. I know you're in a lot of pain and loss, right now, Hermione, but embracing that pain is what makes us stronger. You're angry, you're hurt. You must channel your feelings into something else or else things greater than what happened with the glass breaking would continue to happen." Her eyes flickered, unsure of what to think or say.

Could she do it? Would she be able to take a life? This was a war. If she said yes, she could save countless innocent people. Innocent people like her parents. She took deep breaths to stop the surmounting fury. Would she be able to handle it? A large part of her said yes, she could. No matter what she tried to do, she still felt numb. She still felt that large void in her heart and nothing could bring that back. Nothing could bring her parents back. What of Harry and Ron?

"Do Harry and Ron know?"

"No, they do not know. This is a special operations team only those involved know about. The less people that know about this the better." Sometime during his reply, she began to wander off, memories of her parent's death invading her thoughts again. "-if you say yes, you will have to spend the rest of summer before your return to Hogwarts training and getting accustomed to your job. To everyone else you are being taken away for vacation in an undisclosed area. I know they're your best friends but-" The sounds of her parents screams rang through her ears in the distance.

"I'll do it."

_End of flashback_

The rate at which she learned from her teachers surprised everyone on her ops team and whoever was privy to knowledge of the team's existence. Hermione had a deadly passion for what they taught her and picked up everything very quickly, something unseen by any witch or wizard.

The only hindrance was when they began the aerial portion of her training. It took almost an arm and a leg to get her fly on a broomstick, but eventually they tricked her into flying and now she managed to excel at that too.

She had no fear. She already had been dragged to Hell and back. Her parent's deaths only caused more fuel to the fire that burned inside her. She was deadly and everyone on her team quickly realized that. As the days passed by, she became more silent and more lethal than anyone would have expected. While she managed to hone her erratically large amount of magic, she was taught the muggle means of exterminating one's opponents as well.

Intelligence found out that Lord Voldemort gained knowledge of a way to trace the magic of a witch or wizard who killed his own followers. Whether he decided to use this method on every follower that was killed was unknown, but they could not take chances and so Hermione was faced with more deadly simulations in order to prepare her for any kind of situation.

Weeks of following leads and being deemed ready for her first assignment found Hermione where she was at the present moment- running to her apparition point. The apparition point was very far from Yaxley's mansion so as not to attract any magic tracers, but that did not matter. She was used to running longer distances anyway. She hadn't even broken a sweat yet and she was running full out.

After another half hour of running, she finally stopped behind one of the many shops in the little village five miles from Yaxley's mansion. Sensing no one, she disappeared with a _pop!_

Opening her eyes, she focused on the familiar blue eyes of her ops co-leader- Caelan Bryant. A man of his mid-twenties, he had the slim build and agility of a seeker yet had the strength of an ox. His angular face and aristocratic features made many a female fall for him, but like Hermione, he felt nothing. Sure some of his well-known humor stayed with him, but from what she heard, the man was almost a complete shell of his former self.

Years ago, he lost both his fiancée and family to the Death Eaters who tried to persuade him to their side. He refused and now he had no one. No one, that is, other than the ops team and the Order of the Phoenix.

Seeing her arrival, his eyebrow raised in a silent question.

"It's done," she offered as she unsheathed and enlarged her sword. Inspecting it for any spots she missed during her quick wipe clean, she wiped the blade with a damp cloth.

"Any followers?" He sat on the edge of a table as he watched her.

"No. They didn't even suspect me. Gave his lover quite a scare," she rolled her eyes as she flicked away the dark brown tresses that fell in front of her face. "Stupid bint. Could hear her over two miles away from the blasted place." With an unladylike snort, she threw the cloth down, a silent spell reducing the cloth into ashes before touching the ground.

"Good- about them not suspecting you I mean. You killed him when he was having sex?"

She placed her sword down on its stand so that she could stretch out the kinks in her body from the night's activities. Her eyes flashed up at him. "Whether I did or not is of no consequence. He's dead. That's all that matters, Bryant."

He held his hands up in mock peace. "Hey, I'm not complaining. I'm just saying that must've been one hell of a way to feel right before getting killed. How did you-"

"Beheaded."

"Oh." Silence fell upon the two leaders as the sound of Hermione unlatched hidden weapons from her person. Taking note of how she was roughly tearing everything off, he murmured, "He deserved it, the bloody Death Eater." With a final jerk, Hermione stood straight up, eyes hardening at his comment.

"Yaxley deserved more than what I did to him tonight. I hope he burns in Hell for all that he has done. Now, if you don't mind I have to go to bed if I am to wake up tomorrow morning."

"That time of the year already, huh? You ready to go back?"

Leaning against the table, he studied his co-leader as she turned away from him. In the back of his mind, he heard her respond, but he decided not to listen to her in exchange for looking over at the woman in front of him. Gone was the uncontrollable, rage-filled, and broken girl. Instead a lean, deathly controlled woman stood in front of him. It was amazing how much a person could change in so short a time. But he shouldn't be surprised. After all, he was sure he was the same. However, for being her age, he was amazed at the girl's ferocity.

Smirking at the now straightened hair he was surprised not many saw the beauty that was Hermione Granger. He knew how much she missed the safety of the unruly mass, but after continuously almost getting lit on fire because of its bushiness and cursed from being caught on miscellaneous objects in the simulations, she had to do something about it. He figured either way suited her perfectly. Of course, he thought of her as a fellow employee and maybe even friend, but even he could not help but notice how much her change altered her overall aura. She was confident in her ways now and a hell of a fighter too.

Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "What?"

He blinked, shaking his head to clear it. "Nothing." Raising her eyebrow but deciding not to push it, she prepared herself to leave the room. Her bed was calling her. "Hey, you never answered my question."

"Yes I did, you just decided to stare at me for Merlin _knows _how long."

He had the decency to blush. "Well, repeat what you said."

She huffed. She really was tired. "You and I both know whether or not I'm ready doesn't matter. Hogwarts needs me there to protect the students. Thankfully Headmistress McGonagall allowed me permission to use the Head Girl room's floo to be in contact with the ops team, so I'll be allowed to leave when needed. I'll be fine. I can handle myself."

At that he smiled. "I know you can, but can they handle you?"

Hermione snorted. "Again, doesn't matter, does it?"

"No, I suppose not," Hermione took his silence as the end of the conversation and began to let herself out of the room, before being stopped again. "Knightly and Roe put all your belongings in your trunk. Everything you need for tomorrow is ready to go."

Nodding her head, but not facing him, she let herself out. She had a long day ahead of her. She would be seeing her friends for the first time since she left the hospital, after all.

By now only Ron and Harry knew that she was actually on assignment for the Order. The specifics, however, were kept out. Remus had finally given up after receiving endless owls from them constantly asking where their best friend was. Needless to say, their new knowledge managed to slow the onslaught of letters to one letter every other day.

Not that she actually got the letters. No, owls were not allowed to fly in to their base as protection. With her agreement, Remus relayed the letter and she told him what to respond in the few spare minutes that she had in her day.

Things were getting worse. They often spoke of the increasing tensions in Wizarding London. There were many random attacks throughout England and Harry had constantly written to her about the foretelling dreams he had regarding Voldemort. Needless to say, Hermione knew her friend and used that information to research and possibly try to reduce the damage of the attack to a minimal before it could get any larger. Her and her team was often successful.

By the time she reached her room, she felt her body instinctively react and her body felt much heavier than it had only minutes before. As she stripped of her black skin tight outfit, she promptly collapsed onto the bed in only her undergarments. Pulling up the warm down comforter, she fell asleep, as dreamless as the nights before.

**A/N: Well, there you have it- chapter two. As always, feel free to review. After all, the more you review, the more inclined I am to post. Also, as I am without a Beta reader, feel free to point any misspellings or grammar mistakes to me. I try to catch as many as I can while writing, but two sets of eyes are often better than one. Anyway, thanks for reading and thank you to the following four reviewers: Ciphet, len, shell, and project gotham. I appreciate your comments!**


	3. Tensions on the Hogwarts Express

**Chapter 3: Tensions on the Hogwarts Express**

She awoke with a jerk, eyes assessing the darkness of her bedroom. From her peripherals she judged that it was not yet five in the morning.

So what woke her up?

The hair on her arms signaled the telltale signs of looming danger. In the silence of her room, Hermione's senses were on fire and her mind sensed another's fast approaching presence milliseconds before she flipped out of the safety of her bed, a large slash mark appearing in her previous spot.

In the same movement, she grabbed her wand and cast a silent "_Homenum Revelio!" _Seeing no effect of her spell, she remained silent, crouched on the floor of her room. _There!_ She pinpointed the attacker's close to silent breaths and in the next second, pushed herself off the ground before the attacker could land a hit.

Flipping back onto her feet, she blocked the onslaught of blows, occasionally landing a few hits on the attacker. Barely wincing when she flew into the edge of her wardrobe from a well placed punch to the jaw, she quickly ducked out of the way. Her wand rolled under the furniture.

The sound of wood breaking under the impact of her attacker's punch registered in the back of her mind, but she was too focused on her next move.

Succumbing to her instincts, she rolled out of the way, the dull thud of knives landing in the wall following her sideways movement.

Looking over, the knives came from a different corner of where her focal opponent had been in. Her eyes narrowed at the prospect of another attacker before blocking a blow to her face. She crouched and swept their feet from under them.

As she ran to her pillow, she threw up a quick wandless protection spell that deflected any knives thrown at her. She flipped over her bed, grabbed the knife she kept under her pillow and spun it in a circle to take its hilt off.

"_Multiplico!" _In front of her, the knife multiplied itself and promptly threw them at her intended target.

Feeling a sudden shift in the air, Hermione bent backwards into a back flip, avoiding the two kicks that she assumed had been aimed at her upper body. She kicked in the back of one of her attacker's knees and managed to land a strong punch in the other's gut. Hearing the latter move against the wall, she threw more knives, some deflected by the attacker's own thrown knives.

The attackers were very skilled, leaving almost unnoticeable openings, but Hermione was not the co-leader of her operation's team for nothing. Bringing herself back to the other attacker, she blocked a high kick with her right arm. She immediately went on the offensive, aiming for punches directly to the face while dodging the random attacks from her other opponent.

When she sensed that her opponent's arms were up in a protective stance, she faked with a left side punch and in the same breath, delivered a swift blow to the abdomen. Hearing the satisfying thump of her opponent's body on the floor, she placed her foot on the attacker's neck, applying enough pressure to be threatening and whipped out her knife against the side neck of the other who had attempted to rush Hermione.

She pressed the knife harder, but not enough to break skin. Her grip tightened. When Hermione felt the attacker on the floor tap her leg, she glanced at the other standing next to her. Feeling the tenseness of the knife-throwing fighter leave, Hermione let off, and offered a hand to the person on the floor. A strong hand grabbed hers as she pulled the person up.

"_Finite incantatem," _she heard the two invisible people whisper before their identities were revealed. She didn't need the spell to know who she fought against.

"Was this really necessary? Honestly, I'm just going to Hogwarts!" Hermione sighed exasperatedly, her hands falling on her hips. Her eyes examined the battle-weary duo in front of her.

"Aw, Mione, don't be like that! Just cause you're such a tough cookie on the outside, doesn't mean you won't miss us!" Cordelia Knightly's bell-like voice rang out. She rubbed her neck where Hermione's blade had rested. "Though, you could've been a bit lighter with your attacks."

"Yeah," added another feminine voice to Hermione's other side. Hermione glanced at the slightly shorter blonde who was currently grimacing as she touched her abdomen. "Of all those hits that last one's going to leave a right nasty bruise for a long time." Hermione rolled her eyes as she moved to the slightly broken wardrobe against her wall.

"You are a witch, are you not, Diana?" By the time the other muggleborn's eyebrows shot up in realization, Hermione had dug a bottle out of the bottom drawer. She tossed it into the injured witch's awaiting hands.

"Thanks," Diana murmured as she applied the healing salve on all the already visible bruises.

"Besides," Hermione watched as Diana tossed the bottle to Cordelia, "I'm not the one who punched a bloody _hole_ into my drawer. And honestly, you can't expect me to go lightly on you two just because I'm on your side. Voldemort's followers are ruthless. You and I both know that from experience, and we can't start babying each other now. I don't want to lose you because of rookie mistakes."

"True, but we know that would never happen. After all, we have you for our leader!" With a grin, Diana patted Hermione on the back.

Seeing Hermione's body tense, Cordelia offered to take a look at her back. "You did fly straight into your drawer, you know," she reasoned with her stubborn leader. Grumbling her acquiescence, Hermione turned around, finally acknowledging that she was still only clad in her underwear and bra.

Both Cordelia and Diana winced. Her back was covered with a large black and blue colored bruise extending horizontally from both sides of her back. With practiced hands, Cordelia started to work on applying the cream on all Hermione's injuries while Diana moved to fix her room back to its original unbroken state.

"It was a good surprise though, I have to admit. You two almost won." Seeing the grin on Diana's face, Hermione stressed, "_Almost._"

Cordelia smiled. "We just couldn't let you go without a final goodbye. We had to make sure you could take care of yourself at Hogwarts. We figured you'd be too busy protecting everyone else to protect yourself. Hence the two-on-one tactic." She paused. "We really will miss you, Mione. You're not as coldhearted as you think." Hermione rolled her eyes. A moment of silence, save for Diana's spells, encompassed the room as Cordelia screwed the top back on. "There; all done. You can turn around."

Gratefully, Hermione rolled her shoulders and twisted her upper body glad to feel no pain. "I'll still be able to see you more often than should be allowed of any given student, you know. You guys will be fine without me and you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine." She glanced at the clock. "Now, off with you two. That fight took a lot longer than I thought and I have to get ready to go."

Ignoring the inevitable pouts on their faces, Hermione shooed the two girls out. Leaning against the cold surface of the door, she closed her eyes and sighed before moving to take a shower, her mind mulling over the upcoming school year.

Taking a deep breath of the familiar scents of King's Cross Station and the start of a new year, Hermione forced down any nostalgic feelings as she pushed her way through the crowded platform. Dressed in blue jeans, her white school shirt and a black boat-necked sweater, she took note of all the families littered around her. She ignored the familiar twinge of pain and angled her face down, her paperboy styled hat covering her face as she searched for the compartment Harry and Ron agreed to meet in.

She suppressed a smirk as she remembered her team's goodbyes. Being the youngest member, Hermione was the only one of her team leaving to go back to school. Her fellow teammates' ages ranged from hers to as old as Caelan's twenty-four years. Still, despite the horrors each member had seen, they all managed to form some kind of bond which took Hermione weeks to finally accept.

Being the only one leaving, they all gave her going away presents already packed safely into her trunk. She was told not to open them until she was in Hogwarts. After receiving individual hugs and farewells she apparated to an alley near the train station. She knew she would be back to headquarters soon anyway so she didn't understand what the fuss was all about.

A loud thud and startled cry interrupted her thoughts. Glancing up, face still hidden in the shadows of her hat, Hermione saw a younger student, a Hufflepuff by the looks of the yellow and black badge on his robes, huddled against the door of a closed compartment.

Mocking laughter rang out of the one he had been thrown out of. Seconds later, she watched as all his belongings were dumped unceremoniously out of his trunk on top of him. Those who had peeked out of their compartments in curiosity hurriedly hid back inside not wanting to be involved in a fight that guaranteed an ugly ending.

The little boy, who couldn't be older than a second year, sniffled, his lip trembling as the offenders continued to laugh and make snide comments at his expense.

"Weak little Hufflepuff _mudblood_," she heard a juvenile male voice spit out.

She was eerily reminded of a second year Draco Malfoy's sneering voice. Malfoy's voice, however, had more of a refined sound to it. The Hufflepuff boy opened his mouth to retaliate, but a book hit him in the face. Her grip on her trunk tightened as she reached into her left sleeve.

The sneering Slytherin boy continued, "You should know your place among us purebloods. You don't deserve to set foot on this train, let alone _breathe_. You're nothing but a _filthy_, _disgusting_ com-"

"Say one more word. I dare you," Hermione's ice cold voice bit out harshly. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she dug her wand into his neck. She wasn't going to hex him, but as Head Girl, her duty was to protect the sanctity of the student body and she was not about to let some juvenile snot-nosed little Slytherin have his way. Despite the rapidly decreasing amount of color on his face, he sneered at her.

Lifting her head up, she dared his fellow mates to raise their wands against her. Seeing the intensity of her eyes, they chose to step down. She opened her mouth to speak.

"What is the meaning of this? Flint! Explain yourself." The newcomer's richly deep voice made her grip her wand harder, thus driving the wand deeper into the defiant Slytherin's neck.

Draco Malfoy.

Hermione remembered hearing about the many Daily Prophet articles concerning the fate of the blond pureblood. She, like many of her peers, was outraged to find that the Wizengamot had ruled him innocent of all charges. What enraged her even more was the fact that he was allowed to return to Hogwarts and would actually be doing so. It went without saying that the ministry could no longer be trusted in matters of the war.

She watched as the young Slytherin's face changed from sneering at her to fear at being addressed by the older Slytherin. "Well?" Draco urged, irritation lacing his voice.

The fallen Hufflepuff could be heard at their feet trying to gather his belongings. She felt rather than heard the boy in front of her swallow thickly. Eyes narrowing at the relative of Marcus Flint, she finally dropped her wand arm, promptly sticking it back in its hiding place.

"She-she put her wand on me!" The brown haired boy pointed at her. Feeling the sudden heat of Draco's gaze on her, she was glad her hat covered her face. She could practically _feel_ his eyes examining her and wondering who this unrecognizable girl dressed in muggle attire was. Nevertheless, she did not give him the satisfaction of seeing the anger his presence caused her.

"And what idiocy did you do to deserve that? I'm sure the boy's belongings didn't end up outside his trunk by itself. That rather loud thump wasn't hard to miss, Flint." She heard another condescending deep male voice enter the conversation. Vaguely she connected the voice with that of Blaise Zabini. She remembered the smooth deep quality of it compared to that of Draco's own distinguished voice.

Well, great. First she gets woken up at a godforsaken hour _after_ returning late from an assignment and now she has to deal with three Slytherins, two whom seemed to uncharacteristically stand up for the Hufflepuff boy who was currently sniffling and snotting all over the place. The school year hadn't even started yet, for Merlin's sake!

She turned her attention back to the Slytherins in the compartment. Shooting them all a warning look, including the furiously blushing Flint who was still busy explaining himself, she reduced the size of her trunk since she wouldn't be able to maneuver around everything and placed the miniature trunk in her back jean pocket.

Hermione said nothing to excuse herself, making sure to keep a majority of her face well hidden in the shadows of the train and her hat. Draco and Blaise, still listening to the blubbering Slytherin in front of them, watched her out of the corner of their eyes, the sturdy clicks of her heels fading along with her.

With a flick of her wrist, the Hufflepuff's belongings placed themselves neatly back into his trunk. At the sound of the lock closing, she continued her journey to her destination, not even acknowledging the Hufflepuff boy's hiccupped "Thank you."

She finally disappeared into the designated compartment. Closing the door behind her and placing curtains on the window, Hermione calmed her breathing down. She was so close to whispering a spell on that Slytherin boy, she could _feel_ the flowing electricity of her magic just barely restrained at the end of her wand.

_Merlin, you've not been here for more than ten minutes, and already you're losing your head. Get yourself together!_ She couldn't slip up again. But that Slytherin boy had no right to do or say any of that. She gripped the edge of her seat, feeling the buildup of magic once again. Taking in deep breaths, she managed to finally calm herself down, her chocolate brown eyes looking toward the door just as it opened to admit her two best friends.

"Hermione!" She steeled herself for the three person hug she found herself in. She sighed into their masculine forms, a pang of longing entering her mind as she allowed herself this one moment of happiness. They pulled apart.

Hermione examined her best friends. Over two months of not seeing each other seemed to have changed her best friends.

Harry, his jet black hair still as messy as always, stared back with tired green eyes, telltale black bags under his eyes marking his lack of sleep. Still, despite his exhausted form, he was very much growing into a very handsome man. His form, lean from his position as quidditch seeker, seemed to have lost its baby fat and grown some muscles in its place. His face seemed to have filled out as well.

She glanced over at Ron. She used to have a soft spot for her lanky redheaded friend, but after imagining partaking in something as simple as a kiss with him, she concluded that they were best staying as friends. Images of a wet, sloppy kiss where his tongue was unashamedly shoved down her throat banished along with that thought.

He, like Harry, seemed to also have grown into his maturing form well, though he was much larger than Harry's own slimmer form. Freckles still splattered over any visible area of skin and she noticed the lesser tensed stress around his blue eyes. They were slightly duller than she remembered, but in these times, she couldn't blame him. She was sure she looked just as different as they did.

Nevertheless, he smiled his normal goofy smile at her as they arranged themselves in the compartment. The train began its journey back to the majestic castle. "How have you been, Mione? We haven't heard from you since that letter you sent replying about Malfoy's verdict."

She cast a _muffliato _before responding. "Been well, thank you. How about you two then? It's not every day I see my two best friends radically change from goofy awkward youths to mature young men." Ron and Harry slightly blushed, but smiled nonetheless.

"We've been well. I've been managing to deal with Sirius's and Dumbledore's deaths this summer," Harry's soft voice replied suddenly finding interest in picking at his sweater. To his surprise, he felt a soft hand on his arm. He looked up at the completely new Hermione in front of him. She didn't say anything, but he knew what she meant. He nodded and smiled at her. "How," he swallowed, "How is the hunt for the Horcruxes going?"

"It's going. Without your help and your dreams, we wouldn't have made as much progress in that department. Thank you for trusting me with your dreams, Harry," she squeezed his hand and let it go. That was as far as she could get to being intimate with her best friends.

It had been a very difficult task to get her friend to allow them to find and destroy the horcruxes. After fighting for almost over a week, Harry finally agreed. In exchange, both Harry and Ron were made part of the Order of the Phoenix and individually trained and given slightly less dangerous assignments as the ones she found herself with. With his close connection to Voldemort, he provided clues that helped the Scarlet Phoenix discover the object and locate its whereabouts.

Ron cleared his throat. Hermione glanced up into their expectant gazes. "Yes?"

"I asked whether you had any new news on the horcruxes," Harry filled in.

"Oh, well. We were able to locate Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem and where R.A.B. hid Salazar Slytherin's locket. It's near impossible to get that snake of his alone, but we're working on it. Helga Hufflepuff's cup should be in our possession and destroyed within the next few weeks. " They knew she could not say anymore, so they didn't press on. As the only members of the Order, minus Remus, who knew about the task, they did not want to push her for more information. They knew enough to be satisfied.

"Mum and dad send their love, by the way," Ron piped from his spot. Hermione nodded, once against ignoring the uncomfortable clench in her heart.

"So, did you hear about that incident with the Flint boy in the hallway?"

As she listened to the boys discuss the events of earlier, Hermione lay her head against the glass, inwardly preparing herself. It was one thing to be in the Scarlet Phoenix, but here she was among people she had known since she was eleven. Things would be a lot different, and if she wasn't careful something bad could happen. And from the looks of her encounter with the Slytherins, she had to be prepared for whatever came her way.

**A/N: As always, it is a pleasure to write this story. I'd like to thank project gotham and ****for reviewing.**

**However, due to the lack of reviews, I was wondering if there was something wrong with the story thus far. Is there something wrong with the plot? Is the story moving too slow? General dislike of the story? I hope to continue it regardless, but I would really appreciate some feedback. **

**Also, for a visual of Hermione's casual attire, look up Anne Hathaway in Devil Wears Prada. Hopefully it'll show you the outfit that's very similar to Hermione's.  
**

**Yours, sakura angel90.**


	4. Return of the Gryffindor Know It All

**Chapter 4: Return of the Gryffindor Know It All**

Dreaming of the last memory she had of her parents, Hermione jerked awake. The sound of her parent's shrill screams faded into the background as her eyes focused on the object in front of her.

Harry, surprised at her sudden movement, moved back to his seat, his arm, which had been inches from attempting to wake the sleeping brunette, fell to his side. Seeing the familiar tensed and hyper aware body posture, he offered her an understanding smile. "We're almost there, Hermione. Best you get changed, Miss Head Girl."

Her tense body relaxed as she rubbed her eyes of the deep slumber she had previously been in. Her cheeks felt warm, something she rarely ever felt anymore. Glancing at the uniformed males in front of her, she nodded in understanding before standing to grab her uniform and Hogwarts robes.

Ron and Harry took this as their cue to vacate the compartment so they went off to find the other Gryffindors. Making sure the curtains completely concealed her, she took off her hat, her mahogany hair falling into its semi straight state. It didn't take long for her to change so she returned to her spot on the seat waiting for either the boys to return or for the train to pull up to Hogwarts, whichever was faster.

Minutes later her thoughts were interrupted with a knock on the door. Standing up to open it, she allowed Harry and Ron back in. After situating themselves in their previous spots, they stared at their best friend.

"Merlin, Mione. What did you do to your hair?" Her eyebrows furrowed at Ron's question. He made it sound as though she looked atrocious with her straightened hair. To be honest, even though she had not been very accepting of the Scarlet Phoenix's order to have straight hair for missions, she had somewhat grown to accept it. Just as she was about to respond, Harry interrupted her, his hands flying to keep her from exploding at the redhead's query.

"Not that it looks bad or anything! It's just a lot different from the Hermione we know." Hermione nodded, accepting his words.

"It's just hair, boys. I'm still me. Well, kind of." She sighed as she glanced at them. "We're all changing whether we like it or not, but so long as we stay ourselves in one way or other, that's all that matters in the end, yes?" The boys nodded just as the overhead speaker announced that they were pulling up to Hogwarts and to get ready to depart the train.

Slight anxiety and apprehension filled Hermione but she squashed it down just as she always squashed down any feelings. Now was not the time to regret decisions made. She had to be Hermione the know-it-all Gryffindor, not Hermione of the Scarlet Phoenix.

Hearing the hustle and bustle outside of their compartment, they each glanced at each other and took a deep breath before entering into the beginning of their last year at Hogwarts.

"Welcome, students, old and new, to Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I hope that you all will enjoy your year here," Minerva McGonagall surveyed the room full of students, some too young to fully understand the dangers that lay hidden at the borders of their school. She took a deep breath. "As you all know, certain events that took place at the end of last term have greatly affected this student body, but as Co-Headmistress, I promise you the safety and guidance that Albus Dumbledore fought so hard to maintain in his tenure as Headmaster. And yes, I mean Co-Headmistress."

She cleared her throat to silence the murmurs. A look of disgust flashed on her face as she continued on. "The Minister has taken it upon himself to choose another Headmaster, believing that one is not enough to handle the dark times we find ourselves in today. Despite the allegations, the Minister hopes that you all will treat the other Co-Headmaster with just as much respect as you give me." Here she pointedly ignored the scoff and snorts of indignation from the Slytherin table. "It is the Minister's honor to introduce –"

The sound of the large oak doors slamming open interrupted her speech as all heads in the room snapped to see the new arrival. Collectively, the whole room gasped, even the Slytherins who had no idea of this new development. Hermione looked on in indifference having known the turn of events prior to returning to Hogwarts. Harry gripped the table and glanced at her.

"Hermione, did you- ?" She nodded.

"Yes, Harry, I knew. When the Headmistress brought me in to debrief about my job as Head Girl this year, she mentioned the Minister's decision. We believe there to be foul play in the Ministry," Hermione whispered back now gaining Ron's attention as well.

"And? Have you been investigating? Hermione! I _saw_ him kill Dumbledore! He should be in Azkaban rotting, not here at Hogwarts as a Headmaster!"

Yes, it was true. Severus Snape had graced the walls of Hogwarts once more with his sniveling, hooked nosed self. He looked at the frightened looks many of the student body plastered on their faces, his beady black eyes scanning every inch of the room before walking swiftly up to his place next to the Headmistress. Professor McGonagall continued her speech, but the three paid no mind as they continued their whispered conversation.

"I _know _that Harry. We've been investigating the Ministry. I can't tell you much else, but just don't worry about it. We're handling it as best and efficiently as possible." She knew her words to not worry fell on deaf ears, but she had to calm her friend down before he decided to curse the new Co-Headmaster into oblivion. She grabbed onto his tensed hand which had found its way around his wand. "Harry, breathe. Don't make a scene. Not now. Don't ruin the mission we were all trusted to carry out. For the sake of Dumbledore, don't." At the last sentence, she felt his body relax a substantial amount, though she could still tell he was more alert than before.

Ron snorted as he heard Snape's words of how he had eyes everywhere and one step out of line would be dealt with harsh punishment. "Next you're going to tell me they placed a Slytherin as Head Boy." Hearing no response from Hermione, their eyes widened.

She shrugged. "Why else do you think I didn't mention anything about the Head Boy all this time? Other than the fact that you didn't bring it up during dinner, I certainly didn't mention it at all. The two headmasters deemed it pertinent to have the best student from their respective houses fill the role of Head students. It would give us an advantage knowing when and where he went and with who."

"Give us….advantage…when… where… with who? Hermione, are you two _living_ together?" Ron sputtered out, his face slightly growing red.

Hermione sighed. She really did not need to deal with another problem right now.

"Yes. They decided to not have us separated. As I said, it will be advantageous to know when he leaves at night and with whom. Now shush, Ron!" Turning her head back to the front, she ended their conversation, noting the growing anger in Ron. She was sure the silence she heard from Harry was not a result of listening to the Headmasters either.

"-you are all dismissed to go to your common rooms. We expect all of you to be in your common rooms within the hour.. First years, please follow your house prefects. They will be the ones waiting at the end of your table with pins on their robes"

At the Headmistress' dismissal, the Great Hall was once again buzzing with a multitude of voices as everyone headed toward the doors to retreat to their respective common rooms.

"I can't believe they placed a _Slytherin _as Head Boy. Do you even know who it is, Hermione?" Ron asked his face contorted into disgust as they waited to get out of the hall.

"It's Blaise Zabini," she responded noting the increased tension in both the boys' posture. Harry glared at a spot over her shoulder. Hermione and Ron turned around to find the subject of their discussion mere feet away from them talking casually with Draco and Pansy.

Ron made a jerk into their direction, but she managed to hold him back, stopping him from marching over and waving his wand in their face. Harry, however, took advantage of her distraction and stormed over to the Slytherins.

"Harry! Don't!" Hermione's cry was in vain and managed to catch the unsuspecting Slytherins' attention as Harry approached.

"If it isn't the Golden Boy himself. Tell me, Potter-" The wand tip pointed at his neck stopped Draco from continuing. Not missing a heartbeat, Blaise and Pansy pulled out their own wands on him only to have Hermione and Ron's wands trained on them. All noise around them silenced as students stared at the scene.

"Potter, I highly suggest you put down your wand immediately. As Head Boy I can make your life a living hell if you dare so much as to whisper the slightest spell against Draco. Lower your wand," Blaise's voice was hard and threatening, causing shivers up the spectators around. Harry did not hear him, but if he had, Blaise's threat only made Harry push his wand deeper against the blond's neck.

Draco smirked at him, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I know how much you love to get up close and personal with me, Potter, but if you don't move your wand from my person I-"

"How did you do it, Malfoy? How?!" Harry's green eyes flashed in anger as he jabbed the wand against his neck. "Did you buy off your imprisonment you _ferret_? Or did you simply _Imperio_ the Minister like the Death Eater you are?" He spat out. All around him gasps could be heard, but Harry paid no mind. He was beyond angry.

At the accusation, Draco's eyes hardened into chips of steel before he acted. In a flash, he had painfully twisted Harry's wand arm making the wand fall to a clatter on the floor. Before Harry could react, Draco placed his own wand directly in between Harry's eyes just as Hermione had her wand aimed at Draco's temple, ready to blow him away from her friend. Ron watched the other two Slytherins warily, his wand secure in his grasp.

She secretly dared the blond Slytherin to try to cast a spell just so she would have reason to hit him with a spell. Nevertheless she was still Head Girl and she had to diffuse the situation.

"Harry, leave it! Now is not the time for confrontations. He's not worth getting in trouble for," Hermione tried to reason with him, her wand arm dropping. The teachers were bound to come soon and she was _not_ going to get detention or worse on the first day back.

"Better listen to her Potter. I don't take such accusations lightly. You may be the Golden Boy everyone loves, but you don't know who you're messing with."

In the background the sound of faculty running through the large mass of observing students in the hall became louder, the shouts of the Headmasters to get out of the way filling their ears.

Harry clenched and unclenched his fists, eyes glaring with the promise of pain later on. To emphasize the urgency to end the small battle of wits between the two boys, Hermione grabbed onto Harry's arm and tugged. Feeling her touch, Harry jerked his arm out of her grasp, grabbed his wand from the floor, and stomped off to his common room. The surrounding students parted to let the fuming Gryffindor through.

"Harry!" Hermione yelled and moved to follow, but Ron lifted his hand to stop her.

"I'll go with him, Hermione." Ron dropped his wand arm and left after his best friend.

Hermione glanced around. "Well? Get on all of you! There's nothing to see! The Headmistress said to be in your common rooms within the hour."

Blaise pushed Pansy to go along with the crowd despite her protests as the students around her began to grumble and walk slowly.

Hermione rolled her eyes in annoyance as her hands landed on her hips. "Go on! Move or else I'll start deducting points!" The students picked up their pace and scattered, unwilling to lose points their first night back.

"Bit un-Gryffindor of you, don't you think Granger?" Draco muttered in vehemence at the night's unexpected activities. Before she could retort, Professors McGonagall and Snape reached them.

"Miss Granger! Mr. Zabini! What is this I hear about a fight between your houses? Explain yourselves immediately!" Professor McGonagall demanded.

"Well you see Headmistress-" Hermione began, but Blaise interrupted.

"It was all just a misunderstanding between students. No fights, Headmistress. We managed to settle it before it got out of hand. We would never let a small tiff between students escalate into a fight. You can count on us." Blaise flashed McGonagall and Snape his most charming and innocent smile.

Hermione inwardly snorted and rolled her eyes at the horrible understatement. He was so sugar coated she could practically keel over from sugar shock.

Professor McGonagall glanced at Hermione. "Is that right, Miss Granger?" Not wanting to add more problems to her exhausting day, she nodded.

"Yes, Headmistress. We had it all under control. Just a misunderstanding is all." Snape turned his attention to her, examining her. Hermione met his stare straight on.

"Well you will do well to remember your role as Heads. It will be just as easy to strip you of your titles as giving them if we find you in violation of the code of conduct." With a swish of his robes, Snape billowed out. McGonagall glanced at the group unsure of whether to leave them together, but after deeming Hermione capable of taking care of herself she exited the hall as well.

Now it was just Hermione and two Slytherins. Great. She made to leave the hall, but a voice stopped her.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Draco's voice rang out through the practically empty room. Hermione gripped her wand, fingers digging into her palm.

Couldn't she just be left alone? The longer she was in _his_ presence the more she wanted to hex the brains out of the blond.

Or maybe castrate him with her sword.

_Yeah, _she thought smugly, _make him suffer._ He and Zabini were, after all, well talked about among the female population of Hogwarts, Slytherins or not. The same population believed being on the run from the law and almost being sent to Azkaban made the bloody sod even more appealing. She scoffed at the thought.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hermione ended the conversation, not even giving him the benefit of turning around to talk face-to-face. He didn't deserve such respect from her.

She managed a step before he responded. Apparently the conversation wasn't over for him.

"The girl on the train. The one who held Marius Flint at wand point." So that was the little prat's first name. She fervently hoped karma would come and surreptitiously bite him in the arse.

"I have no idea what nonsense you're spouting off now. I'm sure being on the run from Voldemort and the Ministry must have messed your brain up plenty, Malfoy. Perhaps you should admit yourself into St. Mungo's to get checked out. I'm sure they'd find more problems than just brain damage." She didn't need to turn around to tell they were livid at her response, so she continued walking toward the doors.

"You're right," Surprised at his agreement, she stopped in her tracks again. What the hell was going on with these Slytherins? "Who was I kidding? Surely a _mudblood_ couldn't be able to perform wandless magic. It's dirty blood we're talking about after all- severely impedes one's magic abilities," Draco whispered out the last part as though it were a huge secret, his voice still utterly controlled yet extremely cold. His voice didn't have the usual childish irritation it had years prior. In fact, she could practically feel the knives he shot at her with his spoken words.

She felt her body begin to tense but she forced herself to not let him know how his words affected her. _Breathe. Do not let him get to you, Mione. Just breathe. _Her hands fisted as she closed her eyes, the lights in the Great Hall flickered on and off for a few seconds before returning to its normal lighting. She let out a silent breath, but she could still feel the wave of her magic barely restrained at her fingertips, Head Girl title be damned.

Only then did she turn around, her eyes flickering dangerously at the two boys who had brandished their wands at her movement. She smirked. _Idiots._ Hermione made eye contact with the Italian before responding. "Zabini, you would do well to inform your _friend_ that should he insult me again, he will be severely sorry he even _thought_ the words."

She saw their wand hands tighten, but she maintained eye contact with them. "Is that a threat, Granger?" Blaise sneered, his hazel eyes glancing at her arms in case she did whip out her wand.

Hermione fought back the urge to roll her eyes, but instead turned around. Stopping right before she turned out the hall, her voice rang out succinct and confident, "No, it's a fact."

Draco clenched his teeth as the two boys left the Great Hall, suppressing the urge to strangle her or throw something at her ridiculously annoying head. The two boys were beyond angry, but they were not going to let the little hussy ruin their plans. She wouldn't know what hit her. None of them, minus those involved, would and that's how they wanted it.

As she made her way through the Hogwarts halls, Hermione decided to go straight to her rooms. Surely Harry and Ron would be mature enough to calm down from that episode.

Well, if they weren't then she would deal with it when the situation presented itself.

Finally reaching the destination, she whispered, "Prancing Pixies" to the portrait of a woman who looked like a relative of the Fat Lady guarding the Gryffindor tower. This woman, however, had a bright blue dress and her blonde hair was done up in a mass of curls. Nevertheless, she stepped in to observe the shared common room.

It was pretty generic with side tables and couches, a fireplace, and a cushioned seat under the bay window which looked out onto the lake. In the corner, she made out a small dining area with cabinets she figured held cutlery, dishes, and some wine bottles the Headmistress allowed her to have. The room was decorated in rich neutral tones so as not to create more tensions between the rival houses.

She headed up the stairs she was informed would lead to her room and bathroom. The room was medium size and held a slightly bigger bed than those in the house towers, but it was nothing of extravagance considering it was still a room in a school.

Glad to see her books lined up on the wall and school supplies all placed neatly on her desk, she moved to an empty expanse of wall. Flicking her hand to lock and silence the room, she recited, "I am up to no good."

Before her a fireplace materialized. As she expected, a flame shot out, signaling an incoming firecall. She tossed her Hogwarts robe onto the bed as she accepted the call.

"Mione?" Diana's bell-like voice rang out as her head materialized in the glowing embers. Her face lit up upon seeing the brunette's face. "Mione! Finally, I've been trying to contact you for over half an hour."

"Something came up," Hermione replied irritated. "Seems as though the boys have taken the return of the two snakes worse than expected."

"Harry and Ron? What'd they do?" Diana's eyes furrowed. From what she heard, those two boys were not the sharpest tools in the shed and could only imagine what sort of nonsense they started.

Hermione shook her head. "Don't worry about it. That's not the point of this call, Diana. It's been a _very_ long day and I just want to go to bed. Where's Caelan?"

"Oh! He's right- er- yes, right here!" Diana's face disappeared before Hermione heard a loud crash.

"What in Merlin's name-" She started before Caelan's face showed up in the fire. She cocked her eyebrow at her partner. "Do I _want_ to know what that crash was?" Caelan managed a cheeky grin. Now she should be worried.

"Nope! Nothing to worry about. Everything here's fine!" She would have let it go had it not been for the wince he gave at the end of his response. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'm not away for more than a day and you've already injured yourself, you daft idiot."

"Merlin, Hermone. It's really nothing, just a little injury from training today." He ignored her scoff. "Let's get on to business, shall we?" She placed her hands on her hips signaling her agreement to change subjects.

"Is everything in place for tomorrow's mission?"

"Yes, we'll be able to infiltrate the Lestrange mansion tomorrow to retrieve Hufflepuff's cup. Word has it that there will also be a meeting held there tomorrow night as well which means we will be able to slip in and out without a problem. Cordelia and the others have been debriefed and know their roles perfectly. Tonks has already issued the gear needed for the mission." After discovering where Lupin kept disappearing off to, Tonks managed to land a role as their costume and weapons handler. She was great at her job and her constant bubbly attitude helped the team out in more ways than could be counted.

"Good. See to it that we have ears in on that meeting. We need any valuable information that is discussed."

"Will do. So how is it being back?" Hermione sighed as she smoothed her uniform skirt down before raising an eyebrow at him.

"Do you think I am going to suddenly go all emotional teenager on you and spill about how absolutely appalling" her voice took on a high pitch to mimic many of the melodramatic girls attending Hogwarts, "my first day back was, Bryant, and then suggest we have a sleepover and paint our nails as we discuss the daily gossip about who's doing who or what?" Caelan snorted.

"No, but I might be interested in hearing about the gossip about who's doing what. I don't think I've heard of people being caught doing the dirty with inanimate objects in my years of schooling," he grinned cheekily. She rolled her eyes as she moved to end the call.

"Goodnight Bryant. I hope it goes without saying to be careful tomorrow. Lestrange mansion is just as guarded as all the other locations, if not more so."

Her eyes hardened. Oh how she wanted to be included in the mission, but she had to sit out since it would be her second night back. She wanted the Lestranges to writhe on the floor for their actions. Hermione could feel to familiar build up of magic but managed to shake herself out of her thoughts before hearing Caelan's farewell.

"Mischief has been managed," Hermione whispered to morph the fireplace back into a wall.

Glad to finally be done with her day, she promptly stripped of her outer clothes and placed them neatly folded on top of her trunk before throwing on a tank top and a robe over her half naked body.

Glancing at the clock, she decided that she at least deserved a drink from her long day. Taking down the locking and silencing spells from her room, she poked her head out of her door. Hearing not a single sound coming from the common room or Blaise's side of the dormitory, she padded down the stairs.

As she reached the dining cabinet, she tied her robe together before standing on tip toe to locate a good bottle of wine. Settling on what was within her reach she grabbed the bottle and poured some wine into her wine glass before corking the bottle again and placing it back on its shelf.

Hermione swirled and sipped the white wine just as the common room door opened. The sound of deep laughter froze as she glared at the newcomers.

Her arm touched the strap of her robe to make sure it was still securely in place. Much to her disgust, she could feel their eyes wondering up and down, surveying her. She continued to sip her wine, but her eyes remained glued to the pair of boys.

Throwing them a scathing, repulsed look, she walked past Draco and Blaise and without a word closed her door, several locking spells immediately placed on it.

She couldn't be too careful. She was after all sleeping with two snakes currently lounging outside her room.

She couldn't trust them. No, not at all.

**A/N: Hello everyone! Happy New Year! I apologize for how late this was updated, but I figured I'd give a treat for those with no plans tonight (after all, sitting in and reading is just as engaging as going out to celebrate. I've done it plenty of times before!). I posted the previous two chapters within days of each other because I knew I would not have much time to write anything for the last few weeks with projects, finals, and the holidays. **

**I'd like to thank those who have taken the time to write a review, favorite, or set this story on an alert. **

**For some reason fanfiction did not post up one of the thanks I placed at the end of chapter 3, so to Smitty. AllYouNeedIsLove thank you for your review! You get a special shout out.**

**To those who responded to my note at the end of chapter 3 [bookfreak1, MissCharstar, BlondieBubbles, signy33, eaa, TheRoseandtheDagger, Dakota-Malfoy, sunshine, len (2****nd**** review! Thanks so much!), caesaraugusta, herogirl24] I want to express my extreme gratitude. Your words were really encouraging and I hope I don't disappoint you! And yes, signy33, I hope to update regularly! As always, feel free to review and let me know if you have any comments with the story. **

**Again, Happy New Year! May this new year be a thousand times better than the last!**

**Always,**

**Sakura angel90**


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